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Danny Mok

A debt-ridden salesman is suspected of murdering his two young children before trying to kill himself at their home in Hong Kong’s Yau Ma Tei, where police found the trio unconscious on a bed, with officers seizing three blades.
The case came to light at around 3.15pm on Wednesday when the mother, 40, contacted authorities after receiving a call from a tuition centre about her eight-year-old son’s unexplained absence.
She then attempted to contact the family members but was unsuccessful.
A police source said the woman rushed home to Block B of Kam Wah Building on Canton Road near Waterloo Road as she was concerned the man might be distressed due to debt issues.
Emergency responders arrived and firefighters forced entry to the flat and a locked bedroom, where the trio were found lying on a bed.
The man, a 40-year-old salesman, had a knife wound on his neck measuring 15cm (5.9 inches) and was unconscious. The son and three-year-old daughter had also passed out.
Pathologists initially suspected the children died from suffocation, according to police.
Officers found blood at the scene and seized a 24cm fruit knife and two other blades. All three blades had blood stains.
“We suspect that he killed his two children before attempting to take his own life by cutting his neck with knives,” said Superintendent Ching Chi-yan, the Yau Tsim assistant district commander for crime.
The force said the case had been classified as murder and attempted suicide.
The children, who were showing weak signs of life, were rushed to Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei for treatment. Their father was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
The boy and the girl, who had no apparent wounds, died in hospital at 4.40pm and 4.54pm, respectively.
But signs consistent with suffocation were found, and a post-mortem and toxicology tests were required to determine the exact cause of death.
The man was listed as critical on Wednesday night.
Police said no suicide note, signs of struggle or evidence of ransacking were found at the scene and the man had no history of mental illness. He had been getting along well with his family, until he became embroiled in debt amounting to over HK$2 million due to failed investments.

The couple also had a 13-year-old son. The family of five lived in the 400 sq ft flat with a domestic helper.
The mother last contacted one of the children at 1.30pm.
The Yau Tsim district crime squad is investigating.
The Social Welfare Department said it was deeply concerned and saddened by the case. Its social workers had reached out to the family and would provide appropriate assistance.
The family had not been receiving assistance from authorities prior to the incident.
The department urged members of the public not to resort to harming themselves or their family members, regardless of the difficulties or pressure they might be facing.
The case is the latest in a string of family tragedies in the city.
Earlier this month, a 52-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of murder after the bodies of her 85-year-old mother and 47-year-old brother were found in a flat on Cheung Sha Wan Road.
Investigators said they believed she attacked her mother with scissors and suffocated her brother, who had Down’s syndrome.
The woman, who has a history of mental illness, was sitting at the edge of a building when officers found her. She was pulled to safety.
Last month, a former customs officer, 37, was suspected of having killed his wife, 36, and two children, aged three and six, before jumping to his death from the Panda Hotel in Tsuen Wan. The man had suffered from depression.
If you have suicidal thoughts, or you know someone who is, help is available. For Hong Kong, dial +852 18111 for the government-run “Mental Health Support Hotline” or +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans and +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.


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News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime

Source says father believed to have murdered eight-year-old son and three-year-old daughter before trying to kill himself in Yau Ma Tei flat


Source says father believed to have murdered eight-year-old son and three-year-old daughter before trying to kill himself in Yau Ma Tei flat.


Hong Kong police

Debt-ridden Hongkonger suspected of murdering 2 of his children before suicide bid

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Source says father believed to have murdered eight-year-old son and three-year-old daughter before trying to kill himself in Yau Ma Tei flat

Source says father believed to have murdered eight-year-old son and three-year-old daughter before trying to kill himself in Yau Ma Tei flat